A/N: Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews! I really love the feedback; you guys are awesome! =D With that said, here is chapter 10 for ya'll. Same thing as always, this story is un-betaed and if there are any mistakes please let me know. Feedback is greatly appreciated. Enjoy! :D
Warning: There are some graphic depictions in this chapter so reader discretion is advised.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters or anything you recognize.
The Doctor stopped Rose before she could step out into the unknown space outside the TARDIS. He could not believe that she was going to just walk out the door without much of a second thought. The look on her face almost broke him; she didn't have a clue what she was doing. She was torn between horror and hysteria at that moment and he needed to quell her fears.
"Rose, look at me. You have every right to be furious with me, but please take into consideration that I do know what I'm doing. I know you really have no reason to," he swallowed around the growing lump of guilt in his throat, "but please trust me right now. I'll figure out what's wrong and get us safely back into the Vortex."
The Doctor then walked back over to the monitor to check the atmospheric readings. When he finished analyzing the data he breathed a sigh of relief. The air was sustainable for humans and the temperatures were roughly the same as Earth. The Doctor turned back to his two companions who were pretending one another didn't exist, or at least Rose was.
Reinette was pretending to be interested in the architecture of the console room, but was really sneaking glances at the other blonde; a distasteful expression on her face. The Doctor rubbed his temples. Why did he actually think these two would get along nicely? Reinette was used to having a certain level of respect because of her position as the king's mistress and considering that Rose wasn't even attempting to give her that, the mistress was quite put out.
Rose on the other hand was tense with a hollow look in her eyes. He had never seen her like that before.
"Rose," he asked tentatively, "are you alright?"
It was as if she didn't hear him.
Reinette was curious about his other companion, but didn't make any move towards her. She held herself with dignity and poise, making the scene in the wardrobe room seem as though it never happened.
Turning away from the woman, the Doctor went over to Rose and laid a hand on her shoulder. A small shriek tore from her throat and he jumped back. "Rose?"
Rose turned her eyes to him now and the fear he saw there shocked him. He reached out to pull her into his arms, but she flinched away from him, curling into herself.
"Rose?" her name came out as a strangled whisper. He wanted, no, needed to help her, but he couldn't do that if she just pushed him away.
But wait, hadn't he done the same to her? Pushing her away so that her inevitable departure would hurt less.
No, now was not the time for that. He needed to focus on what was wrong with Rose, but more importantly at the moment, he needed to know what was wrong with his ship. He wouldn't be able to help his companion if they all died from some mysterious circumstance tied to his ship.
With one final look at a distraught Rose, the Doctor whipped around the console flipping switches and analyzing the data the appeared on the monitor.
So far, nothing out of the ordinary was showing up, but that didn't comfort him at all. He growled at the frustration building up in his skull. This wasn't helping!
Shoving away from the console, the Doctor spun towards the door and called over his shoulder towards his two companions, "I'll be right back; I just need to check something."
And he was gone, leaving Rose and Reinette alone in the console room. One companion miffed at being left behind and the other attempting to get a grip on reality, not really noticing the Doctor's absence.
Rose was shaking, but not just from fear. She actually had to force herself to stay put and not go tearing after the Doctor and she knew why.
She was terrified that he would leave her again.
Leave her alone with no way home.
Rose spent the next few moments collecting herself, knowing that at least he wouldn't just leave the TARDIS and Reinette behind. She was just panicking, that's all.
Ignoring the persistent prickly feeling that told her that there was something else wrong, Rose moved on wobbly legs towards the jump seat.
She rested her head on the back of the seat and took several deep breaths, calming her heart.
"Rose?"
Popping an eye open, Rose turned toward the voice, knowing full well she wasn't going to like what was going to be said next.
"Hmm?"
Reinette was standing in front of her, having moved without Rose's knowledge, not that it mattered. Rose was a little out of it anyway.
"I was wondering if I might have a few words with you."
Nope, definitely not going to like this. Rose braced herself for what she was certain to be an onslaught of criticism against her actions.
Hesitating, Rose answered flippantly, "Sure, why not?"
She opened her eyes fully to see that the other blonde haired woman was not looking at her, but still staring at the doors the Doctor had swept through not too long ago. Reinette took a deep breath and even that seemed elegant. Great.
"You and the Doctor," looking up at Rose and steeling her gaze a bit, Reinette squared her shoulders, "have been together for some time, am I correct?"
"Yes."
"And you are close to him?"
We were, Rose thought, until you came into the picture. Okay, that was unfair; it wasn't Reinette's fault that the Doctor acted like a cad.
"Yeah."
Reinette's lips turned down for moment. "I wonder, have you perhaps met his consort then?"
That caught Rose by surprise. Consort? "A wha'?"
Reinette looked at her disparagingly. "His consort; wife. Has he ever taken you to meet with her?"
"The Doctor doesn't have a wife." Not anymore, at least, but Reinette didn't know that apparently.
Pursing her lips, Reinette gave her a pitying look that did not sit well with Rose. "Then I guess he has not mentioned her to you. That does present a problem; I was hoping to gain her favor before anything happened."
"Wha' the hell are you talking about?" Angry at Reinette's condescending attitude and the Doctor's brush off earlier, Rose had just about enough of these two.
Sitting down on the jump seat as far away as she could from Rose, Reinette stared at the console. "The Doctor's consort, or at least that's what he alluded to her as she appeared to him. I wished to meet with her so as to avoid any consternation towards my presence in his life."
"Again, the Doctor doesn't have a consort or whatever and even if he did I'm afraid she is gone now, along with the rest of his planet. I don't think it best you bring it up with him. And what do you mean your presence in his life? This is only a one trip deal, Reinette." Rose knew it was cruel, but at that moment she felt like being a bit vindictive.
She felt like doing more than that. Her nails were biting into her palms as she tried to stay calm and cool in front of 'Madame de Pompous.' If Reinette wanted to put on airs, fine. Rose would put this arrogant human in its place.
Pathetic meat sack.
It would break so easily if she just wrapped her hands around its neck; snapping it like a twig.
Or she could tear open its gullet and let it drown in its own blood. So many choices, so little life in these creatures. Not as much fun.
Reinette spoke again, completely oblivious to the thoughts swirling in Rose's mind. "He never said that it was an official decision and I'm certain that if I enjoy our adventure I will be able to sway his opinion. And it does not surprise me that you have not heard of his consort as I believe very few people that he trusts are privy to that information."
This snapped Rose out of her dark thoughts completely. "He trusts me! The only reason you even know this is because you barged into his mind like a wrecking ball and practically raided it like a pirate. Do not assume that he trusts you; you are not welcome here!"
A tinge of hurt covered the mistress' face, pleasing Rose immensely. "He has allowed me to walk among his memories, which is true. I'm guessing he told you about that, despite the intimacy of it." She obviously had not been expecting the Doctor to tell anyone else of their experience, probably believing that it was between only the two of them.
Rose sneered when Reinette turned away. "Did he ask for you to plunder around in his head, or did you just barge in?"
The other woman scowled. "I don't see how that is any of your business, Rose." Her voice was scathing.
"My business? My business?! It's because of you that Mickey and I got left behind on that stupid spaceship! It's because of you that I was almost cut to shreds and my organs harvested by homicidal robots! And it's because you, Madame de Fucking Pompadour, that the Doctor decided that his companions' welfare was not nearly as important as his beautifully easy whore!"
Rose's blood was pounding in her ears. Every thought and emotion screaming at her to just slap this arrogant woman right back to the 18th century.
"Rose…"
Turning around at the sound of her name, Rose found herself face to face with the Doctor. His expression was unreadable. Not good.
"Doctor, I…I wasn't…"
"Rose, I think it's time that I take you home."
The Doctor stepped outside to take a quick look around, checking to see if the anomaly was created by something on the planet, but he couldn't find anything. It was just like Earth, similar fauna and tiny animals, but nothing all that different.
The Doctor had never been here before.
Must be a planet he's never heard of.
He spent several minutes taking readings with his screwdrivers, but his findings were conclusive. Whatever attacked his ship did not come from this planet. It must have happened in the Vortex.
Rubbing some of the tension out of his neck, the Doctor walked back to his ship, hoping that his companions were either ignoring one another or talking amicably.
He was sorely disappointed.
The moment he stepped inside he heard Rose angrily shouting at Reinette, her face merely inches from the mistress' face. The Doctor had never seen Rose so livid before.
"Rose…" he said, attempting to get the angry woman's attention.
She froze at the sound of his voice and turned towards him with a shocked look on her face.
"Doctor, I…I wasn't…"
The Doctor didn't want to have to do this, but there was nothing for it.
"Rose, I think it's time that I take you home."
Rose just stared at him, her mind reeling. She had not even heard him come in, let alone get so close to her without her noticing.
Take her home? Why?
"What do you mean?"
"You heard me correctly, Rose. I think a few days away from all this will help clear your head. You have been acting out of character since we left the spaceship."
Rose bristled at this accusation. "Yeah, well, you've been acting 'out of character' since you first laid eyes on the blonde tramp over here." she said, gesturing rudely at the other woman who glared at Rose in return.
The Doctor didn't want to leave Rose behind, but he promised Reinette a trip and having Rose there would only cause more tension and resentment between the two women than he thought was necessary.
"Doctor, if I may be so bold," the blonde mistress said.
"When are you not?" Rose hissed, interrupting Reinette.
"Pardon me?" she responded stiffly.
A cold smile crossed Rose's face, causing the other woman to flinch. "You pushed your affections onto the Doctor regardless of how they were received and wormed your way onto a ship where he is the only one even remotely pleased with your presence. You don't think that's bold and intrusive?"
Reinette sniffed and in a calm, but stern voice said, "I am not the one being asked to leave, now am I Rose?"
The words hit their mark and Rose pulled away physically as well as emotionally. Her face all but crumbled before the Doctor.
The mistress continued as though she had not seen Rose's reaction. "As I was saying, Doctor, perhaps it would be best for Rose to learn some proper etiquette before returning to your vessel. She does not act in a way that is expected of a ward of a lord, such as you. She is obtuse and crude at best and I think a good finishing school would suit her well before she should be allowed to travel with you again."
Reinette sashayed over to the Doctor and stood proudly at his side with a disdainful expression of her face. She was not at all pleased with Rose and for some reason the Doctor seemed to agree with her. Rose's actions recently were wholly out of line and she dared to question his authority on his own ship.
Reinette was right; he was a Time Lord and should be treated as such.
"And as for my affections, Rose, I was not forcing them on him. The Doctor was more than delighted to receive any affection that I was willing to give, unlike some individuals. Of that, I am certain."
The Doctor punched in the coordinates for the Powell Estate.
"Doctor?"
Rose's voice was feeble and scared, almost childlike. She did act like one, constantly jealous when someone else managed to garner his attention. She acted the same way towards Sarah Jane and honestly, it was time she learned that he was the one in charge and her behavior would not be tolerated any longer. Rose was of no position to be giving him orders. As Reinette stated, Rose was entirely out of line.
"Rose, I have to agree with Reinette. Go pack your things. I will decide if you have learned a proper lesson about your position on my ship the next time I pick you up. If not, then I believe that your tenure here will have come to an end."